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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · perch · nail · field · rock · firm · cap · rush

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. field — farmland
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rock — a stone
  5. firm — steady
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. firm — a company
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. cap — a lid
  15. firm — decided
  16. field — for sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rush — hurry
  19. field — a subject
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com